Our studio designed the world’s first holographic catwalk for a virtual fashion line, all showcased on a real model, during Amsterdam Fashion week in July 2016. With this technology, we mimicked what Google’s Magic Leap will make us experience in the upcoming years. As for the future of fashion, we believe that people buy, throw, and mistreat their clothing because we do not feel connected with the inanimate objects around us. That is the reason why, with this catwalk experience, we made people emphasise with their clothing the way they do with their friends, where we visualised the spirit of the clothing.

Through animism, we gave life to the fashion line of Amber Slooten by adding facial characteristics like mouths and eyes and interactions between the dress and the model. You can find more information about this project on our interview in The Creators Project, and watch the making off of the hologram here.

IKEA commissioned Pınar&Viola to create a collection of prints under their name, to go on a wide variety of IKEA products, as a part of their Limited Print Collection. On 8th of June, during Democratic Design Days in IKEA Headquarters in Almhult, Sweden, the prototypes of the collection were presented to a group of 250 journalists.

IKEA asked Pınar&Viola to create prints that would attract, inspire, and surprise people all over the world. They wanted prints which would make them dream. To respond to IKEA’s wish, P&V created a collection which is an invitation to embrace the stranger, the unknown, the alien. A collection to celebrate similarities and differences. A collection to make people fantasise about social and planetary justice, through mythical animals and creatures. A collection to embrace the other. These themes are embodied in the four worlds: forest creatures, sweet alien, birds and the bees, and Gaudi giraffe.

The collection will be launched worldwide on June 2017. If you wish to know more about this collection don’t hesitate getting in touch with us: amandine@pinar-viola.com

Hi everyone! We are hired by Adidas for a secret project, involving Pinar&Viola, their image and future!!!!! Can’t reveal anything till November, but until then we show you some backstage photography of us two in their headquarters in Germany. xxx

Currently, in The Netherlands, it’s the time of the national festival of St Nicholas. It’s a very old and populair Dutch tradition. Already since more then 500 years St Nicholas is celebrated as a family festivity with focus on the joy of the children. St Nicholas is a wise old saint who is a friend of everyone, especially of the children. He has a team of cheerful servants, they’re called Black Pete. It’s very possible that, people from far outside the Netherlands, have already heard of them because that’s where things start to be weird… Black Pete is generally played by a white person with a black painted face, red painted lips, topped with a black curly wig. Yes this basically blackface make-up, and gives the racist impression of expressing a caricature of a black person.

Even though it might be hard to understand for people outside the Netherlands, but St Nicholas festival is not meant to be racist. All Dutch people love Black Pete and the children see them as their great friend. Yet, in stark contrast with the overall joy of the folkloric tradition, the Black Pete persona brings a lot of controversy and debate in the country. Watch this video for more insights.

The supporters of Black Pete, who don’t see the figure as racist, want to honour the Dutch folkloric festival the way it is. For them, Black Pete is an important part of Dutch culture and needs to be honoured. In the contrary, you have people that feel hurt and offended by Black Pete. They find it a racist figure with obvious connotations with the Dutch slave trade. The Black Pete opponents want to keep celebrating St Nicholas but with an updated version of Black Pete, free from its racist features.

Protest voices, especially from Dutch people with a Surinam and Antillean background, raised in the early 80s. Despite their request for a more respectful ‘Pete’, not much changed. Understandably, since the last couple of years the presence and loudness of the anti-Black-Pete voice is increasing. We as a half Dutch artist duo, believe that the wish to update Black Pete is very rightful, better said… crucial. To be frank, we’re ashamed for the Black Pete figure as a representative of Dutch culture.

To celebrate positive change, and to exprebs the excitement that new choices and new customs can bring, we made some sketch collages of contemporary Dream Pete’s. With this blog post we want to express our position in the Black Pete debate (we actually really can’t believe that this debate is still going on!) and share our strong wish that Black Pete gets a gracious metamorphose that is joyous for everyone, and evidently not hurtful for people with a different background.

We, Pinar & Viola, just like the rest of our generation, consume and produce on the internet. Our laptops are the extension of our hands. We can work anywhere as long as we have our laptops and a fast connection (you can keep track of us on Instagram here).

But it seems the times we used the internet as a means of escape are over. Instead, more often than not, we’re trying to escape the internet. As an artist duo, we are kind of internet-tired: no more browser buttons in our work. This probably has to do with the mainstreaming, and subsequent overkill, of post-internet aesthetics. We feel like closing our digital windows; we’re longing to touch the real-life earth with our bare feet, leaving our phones in airplane mode. But what if that’s not enough to discharge ourselves?

Imagine a day when you develop an allergy towards the internet, your iPhone, or even worse, your brand new Galaxy S4. Imagine that data-roaming and scrolling through Instagram makes your skin itch, while tweeting leaves a metallic taste in your mouth. With red, irritated eyes, you find yourself changing your FB status: “Electromagnetic hypersensitive.”

Electromagnetic bathingElectromagnetic hypersensitivity sounds like a futuristic nightmare but, for a group of people, it is a RL status. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) might be a new malady or maybe an up-to-date, hypochondriac conspiracy theory. What many of us don’t realise, though, is that the radiation we’ve been exposed to over the last ten years has been hundreds, even thousands, of times higher than in our pre-wireless age.
Scientists agree that electromagnetic fields are dangerous at high levels, but it’s kind of agreed that the low levels emitted from our devices are safe. However, institutions like the National Cancer Institute now acknowledge that more research regarding our recent “electromagnetic bathing” is needed.
Electromagnetic fields, like o.a. GSM and wi-fi, cause electromagnetic hyper-sensitives a wild range of symptoms. According to sufferers, EHS symptoms range from acute headaches, skin burning, muscle twitches, chronic fatigue and other 21st century malaises. It’s a fascinating, electro-phobic cocktail of anxiety and science-fiction spookiness.

As “normal people”, we don’t realize that our society is actually an electro-dictatorship where it is impossible to escape from man-made radiation

To date, EHS has gained little acceptance from the medical and scientific community. As there is no specific medical test for it, all EHS sufferers are self-diagnosed. Nevertheless, the number of people around the world claiming to have EHS is growing. Similarly, research into this controversial condition is increasing and EHS charities are fighting to get the surreal malaise officially recognized. Sweden is the only country where EHS is recognized as a valid medical condition, while the rest of the scientific world laughs or waits for more evidence.

But just because there’s no evidence (yet) doesn’t guarantee that something doesn’t exist. Plus, these kinds of weird, sociological phenomena can be very intriguing. Plumbing through blogs, we dug into this modern folklore-meets-conspiracy theory. What we discovered was electrifying!

Radiation-proofing a bedroom

The survival methods of electromagnetic hypersensitives are bizarrely thrilling. As “normal people”, we don’t realize that our society is actually an electro-dictatorship where it is impossible to escape from man-made radiation. Electromagnetic emissions, known to EHS suffers as electrosmog, are beaming at us from every corner: radiation, 24/7.

EHS sufferers are only safe in a reclusive rural life, in tech-free fortresses where it is impossible for electrosmog to creep in. It’s sad, but the most extreme EHS sufferers claim to have no choice but to live in a Farady Cage.
For desperate electromagnetic hypersensitives, their condition demands creative solutions. Some EHS solutions resembles a neo form of Art Brut. They look like visionary creations, reflections of our own excessive lives and paranoia. Cool, pure silver relieves wifi-burn the best. Their inventions are harsh and drastic, with an obscure poetry.

The shielded lives of EHS victims are extreme extrapolations of the influence that technology exerts on our lives

Lightning-proof fashion
Many EH sensitives dress with an uncalculated, atypical sophistication, their aim to bounce the radiation right off. EHS fashion is dramatic and evocative; forceful looks of oversized spy-wear couture. In their outfits, the mystical and the militant blend seamlessly, their layers of futuristic monochrome silver tones powerful enough to knock out submarine radar. Outfits are finished with EHS accessories like silver plated beanies, foil-lined brain coats and grounding gloves. SS13’s metallic trend fades next to the utility statement pieces of the electromagnetic hypersensitive.
All electromagnetic (EM) protective fashion, with a shielding effectiveness of 99.99%, is made out of high-tech textile with fine weavings of silver wire. Crafty EHS sufferers weave metres of EM-shielding fabric into wifi-proof curtains and bed-cages. On several websites you can find many more EHS products: computer and cellphone shields, shielding paints, foil-lined wallpaper, earthling products, radiation detectors, educational kits… The list goes on.

Technological ignorance
The shielded lives of EHS victims are extreme extrapolations of the influence that technology exerts on our lives. In their wifi-free minds, they merge the philosophical with the factual (some, for instance, believe that PCs literally fry your brain). It’s obvious that electromagnetic hypersensitives are eccentric, but their bizarre theories reflect on our common future: their self-diagnosis is an amplified version of the stress we face with our ‘always on’ lifestyles.

Humor is the best excuse for men to travesty themselves without any taboo nor shame. This new trend shows how easy it can be to dress original. It only takes two steps to turn your sport clothes into a dress. This is some comical, gender-free, fashion inspiration for everyone:

Everyone knows about the contemporary bee drama. The media is speculating frenzy about collapsing bee colonies and their increasing extermination. Apparently it concerns all of us since bees are responsible for pollinating a third of our food.

Our addition to the bee buzz is this tip to turn a Bee Beard in an exclusive, fashionable eccentric look. When bees are scarce, they can dethrone the most luxurious accessories. Scroll down to Get The Look. Stir up the flora in your town while looking stunning!

Step 1) Prepare the bees. We find a small, friendly colony and move it during a high flight time to a different apiary site. The foragers cannot find their way to the colony and the colony is left with primarily younger bees. After about 24 hours, we locate the queen and put her in a cage. Next, we shake about 3 lbs of bees from the colony into a package, focusing on the bees from combs with brood. Then we add the queen, feed the bees with a can of sugar syrup, and put them in a cool, dark location for at least 24 hours. We spray the bees periodically with sugar syrup. Well fed bees are less likely to sting, so we keep them fat and happy.
Step 2) Prepare the person. I put vaseline under my eyes and on lips to prevent the bees from crawling there too much. I put cotton in my ears and up my nose to prevent bees from crawling in. I sometimes tape down my collar and sleeves, and tuck my shirt into my pants and tuck my pants into my socks. It isn’t a good look, but it prevents the bees from getting into my clothing.
Step 3) Add bees. We spray the bees with sugar syrup one last time, then open the package and remove the queen and attach a string to her cage. I sit down in a chair, then an assistant ties the queen around my head, so the queen rests under my chin. I hold a lunch tray against my belly and my assistant dumps the bees onto the tray. The bees will smell the queen, crawl up to her and gather there. The bee feet feel strange and electric as they grip the skin on my face and neck. The cling to each other and hang down like a beard. The bees will “think” they are in a swarm, so they should not be defensive.
Step 4) Remove bees. When I am are ready to get them off, I first remove the queen and place her where I want her to be: either back in the package, or on the next person in line. To remove the majority of the bees, I stand over where I want to bees to go and jump down hard, jarring the bees off. The rest are removed with a soft brush. I let the package sit for a few hours, and after the bees have fully gathered I put the bees and queen back into their old colony.

For the April issue of our column at Dazed & Confused, we put the emerging Jewish symbolism in hip hop and the Rick Ross issue under scope. The question still remains: Did the star of David get rap’s biggest rapper shot?

In the recent months, we have all been entertained with shivers down our spines by the worst kept secret in the rap world, the dispute between Rick Ross and the Chicago-based gang the Gangster Disciples. On October 29th, GD released a YouTube threat for Rick Ross, concerning the Star of David on his mixtape. After that, on 28th January 2013, Mr. Ross crashed his Rolls Royce after another vehicle fired shots at him as he drove home from his birthday party at the famed Miami nightclub LIV. As expected, this shooting alluded to Hebrew-fanatic gang Gangster Disciples, flaunting their sense of humour by shooting him on his birthday. On the other hand, according to reports allegedly “dozens” of rounds were fired at Ross’s car in the drive-by which made 50 Cent speculate that Rick Ross staged his own shooting. Meanwhile, we were bewildered by this Jewish swag which has been the centre of this gangster gossip.

Hip hop and occult visual imagery is like caviar and vodka: a classic. Especially the speculative masonic Illuminati looks of our favourite Givenchy boys, Jay-Z & Mr. West. Writing an opinion about a subject which is a combination of Jewish symbolism, street gangs, African-Americans and hip hop, while not having a background in any of them and getting away with it is not easy, but the question remains… Why on earth would a street gang associate itself with Judaism? And why is the Star of David the go-to rap symbol of choice?

Folk Nation is an alliance of street gangs based in Chicago and Gangster Disciples is its strongest sub-gang – also one of the most violent gangs in the USA. It is estimated to have over 600,000 members worldwide. The gang uses the Star of David, a pitchfork, 360, GD (their initials) and number 74 (the places of their initials G and D in the alphabet) as their symbol and they are known for carrying a black flag (bandana). Allegedly, the Star of David in the GD pays respect to David ‘King David’ Barksdale who was the original leader of multiple Folk Nation gangs among Gangster Disciples. The letters on the points of the star stand for Love, Life, Loyalty, Understanding, Knowledge and Wisdom.

The video that Gangster Disciples uploaded on Youtube showing their feelings towards Rick Ross about the Star of David on the cover of his mixtape, The Black Bar Mitzvah, has a history. It has been said that Rick Ross disrespected GD for dropping the name of their leader Larry Hoover in the song “B.M.F.” as a street swag booster which made him millions, as well as for using the Star of David (which is the gang’s major symbol) on the cover of his mixtape, The Black Bar Mitzvah.

The gangster gossip surrounding Rick Ross’ marketing strategies stretches to world-renowned cocaine king-pin Freeway Ricky Ross. First named ‘Teflon’, the Miami MC Rick Ross is currently being sued by Freeway Ricky Ross for using his name.

After the shooting in January, the ex-correction officer Rick Ross is currently being protected by actual police force. It can’t be fun to be Rick Ross right now.